About

Welcome to my blog, where I share my recovery journey of a number of both chronic and short term illnesses which affect my day to day life!

I'm Cat. I'm 16 years old and from the United Kingdom. Since around the age of 8, I have been beginning to suffer more and more with a number of both short term and chronic illnesses, both mentally and physically which affect my life daily.

I have suffered with Severe Anxiety Disorder since the age of 8, and I have been under my local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Team since the age of 12 and have seen countless School Nurses through Primary and Secondary school. From the age of 14 I began to suffer with Audible and Visual Hallucinations as a result of my worsening Anxiety Disorder, and I now take Fluoxetine (an Anti-Depressant drug) as well as Quetiapine (an Anti-Psychotic drug) prescribed by my CAMHS Psychiatrist.

I discovered at the age of 13 that I have Asthma, a common long term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. This particularly affects me during Hayfever season, but can affect me often during my day to day life too. I carry a Blue Salbutamol Reliever and use a Purple Seretide Inhaler every morning and night to prevent attacks.

I have a complex abdominal/gastroenterology history, as well as suffering with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which can cause me immense pain on a daily basis. As far as my gastroenterology symptoms go, I currently have no other diagnosis which is a bit of a mystery despite being under a Gastroenterologist at a Specialist Children's Hospital and a Paediatrician at my other local hospital. I had my Appendix out in 2015 at through a Laparascopic Appendectomy, at which point my surgeon also discovered a burst ovarian cyst which was drained, although I suffered a Serious Post-Operative Infection in the weeks following, for which I was rushed back in to hospital by Ambulance and treated with IV Fluids, three IV Antibiotics including Gentamicin - an antibiotic used to treat several typed of bacterial infections including bone infections, endocarditis, pelvic inflammatory disease, meningitis, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and also sepsis. An Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy I had at the end of 2015 also revealed I had been suffering with around three to four stomach ulcers which appear to be healing, but I'm still experiencing many symptoms which are still under investigation.

I currently suffer from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, a long-term (chronic) fluctuating illness that causes symptoms affecting many body systems, more commonly the nervous and immune systems. As a neurological disease, M.E. affects an estimated 250,000 people in the UK, and around 17 million people worldwide. My ME causes me to experience severe, persistent fatigue associated with what's called post-exertional malaise (the body’s inability to recover after expending even small amounts of energy; sometimes also called ‘payback’) and chronic pain. However, M.E. is also characterized by a range of additional symptoms. I am currently under my local Specialist Children's ME/CFS Service where I see a Specialist Paediatrician for ME and also a Specialist Physiotherapist for ME too.

I also suffer from Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. BPPV causes brief episodes of mild to intense dizziness. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is usually triggered by specific changes in the position of your head. This might occur when you tip your head up or down, when you lie down, or when you turn over or sit up in bed.

As well as these, since September 2015 I have also been experiencing regular Syncope Episodes thought to be caused by Bigeminy and Trigeminy episodes which are episodes of having two or three heart beats in a row. At the moment I see a Cardiologist at a Specialist Children's Hospital as well as being regularly monitored by my GP. I have had many investigations such as many ECG's, an Echo-cardiogram and a five day ECG event recorder fitted, which showed Unifocal Ventricular Etopics and episodes of Bigeminy and Trigeminy. Because of this I am being referred to a more specialist Cardiologist at my hospital and I'm waiting for a loop recorder to be implanted for a more thorough investigation of my heart.

I also take a number of Medications daily including Fluoxetine (an Anti-Depressant), Quetiapine (an Anti-Psychotic), Omeprazole (a Proton Pump Inhibitor), Mebeverine (an Anti-Spasmodic), Hyoscine Butylbromide (an Anti-Spasmodic), Seretide (a Beta2 agonist, a long-acting corticosteroid), Tranexamic Acid (an Anti-Fibrinolytic), Rigevidon (a Combined Contraceptive Pill), Salbutamol (a Bronchodilator), Glycerol (a Hyperosmotic Laxative), Folic Acid (a Supplement), Fulitum D (a Vitamin D Supplement), Macragol (an Osmotic Laxative), Sodium Picosulfate (a Stimulant Laxative) and Lactulose (an Organic Compound Laxative).

I see a number of specialists and am on an Avoiding Admissions Care Plan led by my usual GP. I currently see a CAMHS Psychiatrist, a Paediatrician, a Gastroenterologist, a Specialist Paediatrician for ME, a Specialist Physiotherapist for ME and a Cardiologist.

To hear more about my journey, follow my blog!